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Redundancy in measures of depression.
M L Fitzgibbon1, D F Cella, J A Sweeney
1New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center.
Journal of Clinical Psychology
|May 1, 1988
Summary
This study found that depression scales correlate highly, suggesting one measure is sufficient for assessing diverse patient groups. This simplifies depression assessment across different populations.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Medical Research
Background:
- Depression assessment often involves multiple scales.
- Validating single-measure approaches is crucial for efficient clinical practice.
- Heterogeneous patient groups present unique challenges in depression measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the correlation between three distinct depression scales.
- To determine if a single depression measure is adequate for diverse populations.
- To provide evidence for simplifying depression assessment protocols.
Main Methods:
- Administered Beck Depression Inventory, Depression Adjective Checklist, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale to 108 subjects.
- Included major depression inpatients, renal service inpatients, and healthy volunteers.
- Calculated correlations for the total sample, subgroups, and a random subsample.
Main Results:
- High correlations were observed between the Beck Depression Inventory, Depression Adjective Checklist, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.
- The findings were consistent across the total sample and subgroups.
- A single depression measure demonstrated sufficient validity for heterogeneous groups.
Conclusions:
- The high inter-scale correlations support using a single depression inventory.
- This simplifies the process of assessing depression in varied clinical and non-clinical populations.
- Clinical utility is enhanced by reducing the number of administered depression scales.